Krabi - Thailand

It was a full day of travel to reach Krabi in Thailand, from the Pehrentian islands. I had a series of travel companions so it was at least not that boring.

Krabi town itself was not really that great but I decided I would do no traveling the day after coming into Thailand so I spent the day roaming around aimlessly, but in the process met a group of mostly Brits who had chartered a boat for the following day and needed extra people. They assured me that I could be dropped off on Tonsai beach, which was where I was headed anyway, so I signed up.

The first Island we went to was called Chicken Island as it has a spire of rock that looks sort of like a chicken; also the island boasts a 24 hour KFC (note: that last statement is a lie). There is a popular island around the area called James Bond island as one of the movies was filmed there in part. I'll have to re-watch whichever one it is when I return home, I only hope it stars Roger Moore, greatest actor to ever portray 007. We did some swimming and saw a few more islands before I got dropped off on Tonsai Beach.

Tonsai Beach is exceedingly beautiful, surrounded by towering limestone cliffs on all sides. It is not an island but is only accessible from boat. It is a rather strange place and can best be described as a bohemian/hippie rock climbing retreat. I was happy to hear all the Jack Johnson and Bob Marley playing all the time, and they offered many interesting shakes to offer including the Magic Shake and the Peace Shake; they had 'secret' ingredients.

The rock climbing scene in Tonsai is unbelievable. There are probably thousands of bolted routes of all skill levels within walking distance of the beach. I did a a few days of climbing but it was sometimes a struggle to find climbing partners. I would consider going back there for a week or two on a strictly rock climbing vacation with some of my regular climbing buddies. It was really quite amazing and the views were spectacular.

The two last pictures are taken from the same place. It may not look it but I am incredibly high off the ground in a kind of hanging cave formed by a stalactite. That was one of the most fun climbs I have ever done, a can be seen from my expression.